Set Your Inner Geek Free
- Nerds and Geeks are Not the Same
- You Dont Want to Be a Nerd
- Put a Stop to Your Nerdy Behavior
- Go Ahead, Geek Out
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
If you, like me, first got into computers and software when you were still a teen, you have probably had the dubious honor of being labeled a geek or a nerd. Hopefully this honor didn’t also include wedgies or swirlies, but if it did, perhaps you will find a little comfort in this article. It’s good to be a geek, and I’m going to explain why.
Nerds and Geeks are Not the Same
First, we must address the words. There is a difference between a geek and a nerd, and it’s important to understand them, even if the general population doesn’t. Why? Because everyone in IT is a geek or a nerd, including you. But not me. I’m normal! Right... I think this article will clearly demonstrate that I, too, am a geek. But not a nerd—at least not all the time.
Let me tell you what Webster says:
Geek: 1: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake; 2: a person often of an intellectual bent who is disapproved of.
What the heck? A wild man who bites off snake heads? How did that evolve into a dude with a PDA on his belt?
Nerd: perhaps from nerd, a creature in the children’s book If I Ran the Zoo (1950) by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel): an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially: one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits.
Sweet. The next time someone calls you a nerd, thank Dr. Seuss.
There is a subtle but important difference between a geek and a nerd. A geek has an "intellectual bent" that others find odd. A nerd, however, is a social klutz.